Press Release: Gov. Evers Takes Action on 29 Bills, Vetoes Legislation Restricting Reproductive Healthcare

Office of Governor Tony Evers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 3, 2021
Contact: GovPress@wisconsin.gov 
 
Gov. Evers Takes Action on 29 Bills, Vetoes Legislation Restricting Reproductive Healthcare
 
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today, in addition to Wisconsin Act 92 signed earlier today, took action on an additional 29 bills. The bills include: 

Assembly Bill 99, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 93: 

  • Provides a new exemption for municipal or county dredging and disposal of the dredged materials from the bed of Lake Michigan or Lake Superior.

Assembly Bill 377, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 94: 

  • Extends the maximum life of Tax Incremental District (TID) Number 1 in the village of Marathon City by 10 years, from Jan. 3, 2025, to Jan. 3, 2035; and
  • Extends the eligible period during which project costs may be incurred from Jan. 3, 2020, to Jan. 3, 2023.

Assembly Bill 388, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 95: 

  • Creates a Wisconsin commission for the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission and attaches that commission to the Department of Veterans Affairs; and
  • Assigns the commission to plan, coordinate, and implement a program to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, specifically highlighting the role of Wisconsin in that event.

Senate Bill 73, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 96: 

  • Makes clarifications and changes to the requirements of a real estate condition report; 
  • Establishes that if a prospective buyer rescinds a contract due to not receiving a completed condition report within ten days, the prospective buyer is entitled to the return of any deposits or option fees the prospective buyer paid; and 
  • Clarifies that a real estate condition report is considered complete only if the seller has completed or otherwise provided information for each item on the report. 

Senate Bill 92, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 97: 

  • Establishes initial training requirements for guardians, requiring every proposed guardian of the person or the estate to complete training on duties and responsibilities under the law and limits of a guardian's decision-making authority, while also requiring additional training on topics applicable to the respective guardianship type
  • Establishes that a proposed guardian must submit a sworn and notarized statement to the court that the person has completed the training requirements for their respective type of guardianship prior to permanent guardianship being granted; and
  • Requires the Department of Health Services to award a grant to an entity to develop, administer, and conduct Web-based on-line guardian training modules that can be accessed for free, with printed versions available for free upon request.

Senate Bill 255, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 98: 

  • Requires the Department of Health Services to provide reimbursement under the Medicaid program for services that are typically reimbursable under the program but that are provided by a pharmacist within the scope of their license or that are provided by a pharmacist that was delegated by a physician.

Senate Bill 283, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 99: 

  • Requires that any person who has a right to use a private road or driveway must contribute the reasonable and necessary costs of maintaining and repairing it as provided in a written agreement, if applicable;
  • States that if there is no written agreement, the contribution would be in equitable share based on the amount and intensity of each persons actual, proportional use; and
  • Provides that any person who has a right to use a private road or driveway and is the one who causes damage—beyond ordinary wear and tear—must pay the costs of repair. 

Senate Bill 300, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 100: 

  • Requires pharmacy technicians to be registered by the Pharmacy Examining Board; 
  • Prohibits any person from engaging in the practice of a pharmacy technician or using the title pharmacy technician” or pharmacy tech unless the person is registered as a pharmacy technician by the board;
  • Requires the board to promulgate rules to define the activities that constitute the practice of a pharmacy technician for purposes of the registration requirement; and 
  • Authorizes the board to promulgate emergency rules to implement the changes in the bill.

Senate Bill 308, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 101: 

  • Updates current Wisconsin statutes to align with Pharmacy Examining Board rules that allow for remote dispensing to occur at locations that are not licensed as pharmacies; and 
  • Clarifies that free and charitable clinics, as well as narcotic or opiate addiction treatment centers, will not be affected by this legislation.

Senate Bill 303, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 102:

  • Limits the penalty of a late submission of data for the calculation of general transportation aids to $100 per day for villages and towns; and
  • Caps the maximum penalty for late submission of data for villages and towns at $2,200.

Senate Bill 364, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 103: 

  • Makes changes to the operation restrictions for snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), and utility terrain vehicles (UTVs).

Senate Bill 374, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 104: 

  • Changes the designation of structural collapse response teams to urban search and rescue task forces;
  • Broadens the scope of emergencies to which an urban search and rescue task force may respond;
  • Requires the Department of Military Affairs to reimburse a local agency for certain increases in duty disability premiums; and
  • Streamlines the reimbursement process to local agencies for costs incurred from participation in the urban search and rescue task force.

Senate Bill 387, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 105: 

  • Allows the construction of a fence within a shoreland setback area if the fence is no taller than 15 feet, located no less than 2 feet landward of the ordinary high-water mark, located entirely outside of a highway right-of-way, no less than 10 feet from the edge of a roadway, and no more than 40 feet from the edge of a roadway or highway right-of-way, whichever is greater, and generally perpendicular to the shoreline.

Senate Bill 401, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 106: 

  • Allows organizations that are permitted under current law to conduct 50/50 raffles without a license if the raffle tickets are offered for sale only to members of the qualified organization, the prize is a cash award equal to one-half of the ticket proceeds (a 50/50 raffle), the prize does not exceed $500, and the qualified organization complies with all requirements listed under s. 563.935, the requirements for raffles conducted under a Class B license.

Senate Bill 434, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 107: 

  • Allows an insurer to submit insurance information on certain damaged residential property that must be considered by a municipality prior to determining if the property should be razed; and
  • Changes the dollar threshold under which repair of an insured dwelling is deemed reasonable from 50 percent of assessed value to 70 percent of a dwelling’s insurance policy limits.

Senate Bill 437, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 108: 

  • Limits the operation of an unregistered or improperly registered vehicle to instances when its use is the only means to escape an imminent public disaster or prevent imminent death or great bodily harm.

Senate Bill 449, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 109: 

  • Modifies the materials that must be submitted to the Office of School Safety as part of a school safety plan by providing that critical incident mapping data can be submitted in lieu of school blueprints
  • Modifies the school safety grant program to require the Department of Justice to award schools grants to assist with submitting critical incident mapping data;
  • Requires the Department of Justice to submit an annual report to the co-chairs of the Joint Committee on Finance outlining awarded grants and expenditures for critical incident mapping data grants; and 
  • Provides that the Joint Committee on Finance may supplement the Department of Justice’s school safety grant appropriation for grants under the bill, not to exceed $2,000,000 in the biennium, upon request by the department.

Senate Bill 466, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 110: 

  • Determines that if the owner or user of a chemical recovery boiler maintains insurance coverage for the boiler and is in good standing with the providing insurer, periodic inspections may be required no more frequently than once every 24 months, an adjustment from the previous rule that required inspection every 12 months with the possibility of a six-month extension; and 
  • Sets a deadline for the Department of Safety and Professional Services to act on exemption or extension applications related to periodic inspections of chemical recovery boilers, stating that if the owner or user of the boiler applies for an exemption or extension at least 120 days before the expiration of that boiler’s inspection period, the department would be required to take final action on the application at least 90 days before the expiration of that inspection period. 

Senate Bill 482, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 111: 

  • Adopts the model travel insurance act approved by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2018, which, among other changes, replaces the existing statutory chapter on limited lines travel insurance.

Senate Bill 489, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 112: 

  • Makes a series of changes to the process for municipalities applying for assistance under the Clean Water Fund Program and the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program.

Senate Bill 538, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 113: 

  • Prohibits hospitals or transplant hospitals from discriminating against individuals with a disability in organ transplant eligibility determinations and specified related processes;
  • Prohibits the denial of insurance coverage based on an individual’s disability for treatment services related to an organ transplant; and
  • Allows for action against violations of the bill to be brought in the circuit court of the county where the violation occurred, mandating that hearings on the allegations be held within 30 days of their filing. 

Senate Bill 588, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 114:

  • Modifies numerous insurance statutes covering statutory accreditation requirements, penalties for violating insurance statutes, virtual shareholder and policyholder meetings, allowing certain insurers to offer funding agreements, reporting requirement changes, and minor changes to the injured patients and families compensation fund peer review council. 

In addition to signing the above bills, Gov. Evers today also vetoed seven bills, including several bills attempting to restrict Wisconsinites' access to reproductive healthcare. 

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again today: as long as I’m governor, I will veto any legislation that turns back the clock on reproductive rights in this stateand that’s a promise,” said Gov. Evers. “We cannot go backwards, and I will never stop working to make sure every Wisconsinite has access to quality, affordable healthcare, including reproductive healthcare in this state.”
 
 
The governor’s veto messages are available below. 
 
Veto Message for Senate Bill 16   
 
Veto Message for Senate Bill 503   
 
Veto Message for Senate Bill 591  
  
Veto Message for Senate Bill 592   
 
Veto Message for Senate Bill 593  
 
Veto Message for Senate Bill 125   
 
Veto Message for Senate Bill 463 

 
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